Konohagakure
by SoyCrisps
Summary: The village does not wait for those who cannot keep up. Why, you ask?
1. Because Times Change

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned below.**

_This chapter takes place around 2 years after the Ten Tails Revival Arc. (As of 8th December 2013, chapter 656 has been translated into English. I have completely made up the storyline after this.)_

_Also, there are no pairings in this chapter. There might be some implied pairings in future chapters._

The sun was eager to hide itself behind the Hokage Mountain today. Sunset was almost upon the village, bathing the trees in gold and orange.

Shinobi sandals stepped quietly through the gates of Konoha. The sunlight was indeed a sight to behold; seldom had he returned from a mission during light hours. The sound of chattering laughter alerted the ears of a certain man to a small playground near his left.

How he wished he could once again lose himself in those distant days of innocence and tomfoolery. Childhood was as good as a meaningless word to him now. He could not go back and change things, no matter how much he wanted to.

A boy, who looked no more than six years old, jumped up and grasped the monkey bars, swinging wildly, before grinning like there was no tomorrow. Beside him, a small, petite girl rolled her eyes at his antics, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Kids! Where are your parents?" A man called out from behind them. He was wearing an apron and his hands were covered in what looked like flour. He looked mildly concerned.

"Uh..." the boy started.

"They're off to buy some groceries. They'll be back later... right, Kouta?" the girl looked to the boy.

"...Yeah! That's right!"

"Well, make sure to take care of yourselves, okay? There are bad people out there," the man bent down to their height and winked.

"Okay," the two kids chirped in unison, before returning to the monkey bars.

Something inside the shinobi snapped. One boy. One girl. One guardian.

Naruto. Sakura. Kakashi.

But where was he in the equation?

Since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, it was clear that times had changed. Even Naruto had felt the effects. He was more reserved, more contemplating, to the point that it became scary. He would think things through before acting; sigh as if the very weight of the world was bearing down on him. Except the way he'd rub the back of his head and his famous suffix of 'Sakura-_chaaan_', very little of the old Naruto, the beaming, optimistic Naruto, remained. Well, at least he didn't accidentally misplace his Kage Bunshin anymore... well, not too many times.

Sakura, on the other hand, was more tomboyish - militaristic, even. Or had she always been that way? He didn't think the younger Sakura would ever manage to single-handedly move her furniture into a new flat. In about a minute, too.

Yet, one could be able to see her snoring gently on the sofa after training. To be honest, it was strangely cute.

Kakashi... what was there to say? Nothing much, actually. The weariness behind his one eye was most likely there from the beginning, anyway. And old age wasn't easy to detect in a man whose grey hair was perfectly natural.

And himself? No words could describe the detachment he felt as he stood on the sidelines, watching as innocence was replaced by determination – determination to live, to fight, to understand. His old self had been lost amongst the pushing and shoving. What remained was an empty shell. He was now just another shinobi.

He missed the days when the air of excitement was still in the air, and a mission well done was something that mattered. He missed the times when smiles were warm, not fake.

But there was nothing he could do. Team 7 was no more. The once glorious days of childishness and contentment had long ago faded into oblivion. World-weary and blunted, hardly more than children themselves, their childhoods had already expired long ago.

A chill in the air signalled that the sky was darkening rapidly. Sasuke watched as the girl led the boy away from the playground, through a small clump of trees and into a row of houses. He stood for a moment in brief revelation, before he, too, melted into the shadows.

Seasons had passed. Times had changed.

The only thing that remained in a shinobi's heart was cold, hard reality.

Because the imagination was left to the children.

**Whew! My first fanfic! How was it? Please review :D**

**My aim for this chapter was to (attempt to) illustrate the effects of war on different people and what it means to grow up - also, essentially, the effects of too much reality and not enough imagination.**

**I'm not sure if it was too drabbly or depressing, but hey - what better way to start off a fanfic than with a little angst?**

**Cheers, **

**SoyCrisps**

**P.S. Team 7 didn't break up or anything in this chapter... They just sort of drifted apart...**

**P.P.S. Does it seem like Sasuke is stalking little kids or something?**


	2. Because The Storm Will End

CHAPTER SUMMARY: It comforted him that the sun would rise again.

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned below.**

_This chapter takes place around the time when the Konoha 11 (or 12) should have been around 7 years old. It is in no way related to the previous chapter._

Lightning crackled.

Thunder rumbled.

Trees bent and snapped under the sheer force of the approaching storm.

Most importantly, it was 3:24 am, and Naruto could not sleep.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had been sleeping on and off for a long time now. Not that it mattered, though.

Watching as the clouds rolled over each other, eagerly nearing, he found himself feeling strangely calm as he watched the spectacle from his bedroom window.

He wondered what it felt like to be in the clouds; so high that you could barely breathe, so overwhelming you couldn't speak. Well, at least he'd guessed it would be something like that. He'd ask Iruka-sensei tomorrow.

Electricity seemed to fill the air as a deafening clap of thunder resounded throughout the village. Naruto silently watched as the windowsill was slowly engulfed by patters of water. Somewhere nearby, a baby wailed.

Hugging his knees to his chest and curling into a ball, he leaned to one side and slowly tipped over so that he thunked onto the mattress. He liked the soft feel of the sheet against his cheek. He could stay like this forever... Wait, no. He'd drool.

He got back up again.

Vaguely, he remembered that Iruka-sensei had promised to teach the class Bunshin-no-Jutsu tomorrow. If he worked hard at that jutsu, he'd show it to the whole village and prove that he was not the loser they seemed to think he was.

As time ticked by, minutes turned into hours. Naruto felt his vision darken, and the comfort of sleep took over once more.

Mercilessly, the rain battered down.

**Okay! I know that this was a sad, short chapter... And the stuff is messed up...**

**My excuse would be that no-one thinks clearly (or with much common sense) in the middle of the night, when they can't go to sleep - but the real reason is that my mind was in shambles when I wrote this.**

**The name of the chapter and the plot was somewhat inspired by a song by Snow Patrol. It's called "What If The Storm Ends?"**

**...I tried to capture the mood of "I'm gonna take on the whole world - tomorrow though". That sort of thing.**

**Cheers,**

**SoyCrisps**


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